05/25/17

Today we learned that wine has “legs”. You ever watch people who know about wine swirl the wine around in their glasses? It looks like a secret practice to those of us on the outside but actually serves two purposes. The first of which is to cause the wine to interact with oxygen releasing aromas, the locked up undertones of the wine from the earth/minerals, ripeness, and any practices used during the fermenting process i.e. barrels. The second however is what caused me to get my nerd on today, legs have to do with the viscosity of the wine. A wine with a higher sugar/alcohol content will “stick” to the sides of the glass and slide down the sides slowly.

Love it! On we went with the tasting wine, cheese, and yes I even ate the bread! We learned that Medoc has the most famous wines located on the south bank of Bordeaux, Rose from Provence is great for a warm day (Paired w/ fish), and even that Pinot Noir is considered feminine wine (who knew?). Below are the pairings that we have tried, fingers crossed that they sell these cheeses in the States because I will be revisiting this as soon as we get home!

Champagne: Lancelot-Pienne –> For the love of Kelsey

Paired w/Cheese: Brie de Meaux –> Buttery and smooth

White wine: Loire- Sancerre

Domaine de la Garenne- Sauvignon Blanc

• Flavors: Apple, lemon, grapefruit, white flowers
• Acidic, smooth, fresh

Paired w/Cheese: Couronne-Lochoise- Goat Cheese–> Intense

Red Wine: Sud Ouest- Cahors

Chateau Combel la Serre- Malbec

• Robust, round, black fruit, blackberry, cherry, sweet spices, cinnamon
• From southern part of Bordeaux.
• Malbecs are not popular in other regions of France, these grapes need sunny warm weather to ripen fully.

Paired w/Cheese: Comte- Pale yellow, firm cheese

Rhone- Cotes- du- Rhone

• Chateau Saint-Cosme: Red blend of Syrah& Grenache
• Pepper aroma
• Ripe red fruit, prunes, cherries, vanilla
• High tannins, astringent, dry

Paired w/Cheese: Cantal- Yellow firm cheese

Loire- Coteaux du Layon

Domaine des chesnaies: Chenin Blanc

• Marmalade, dried apricots, peaches, and honey
• Sweeter due to late harvest
• Well balanced, good acidity

Paired w/Cheese: Fourme d’Ambert- Blue cheese